Lalu Prasad Yadav and 77 others charged in land-for-jobs scandal
New Delhi: On Friday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) submitted a detailed charge sheet against Lalu Prasad Yadav and 77 others in the land-for-jobs case. The charge sheet includes 38 candidates as accused.
The CBI informed the court that they are still awaiting the sanction from the competent authority. Special CBI Judge Vishal Gogne has scheduled the matter for consideration on July 6.
Previously, on May 29, the court had directed the CBI to file a comprehensive charge sheet in this case and had expressed dissatisfaction over the delay.
The accused in this case include Lalu Prasad Yadav, and his family members Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav. They are all implicated in the alleged scam.
On October 4, 2023, the court granted bail to Lalu Prasad Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav, Rabri Devi, and others about a new charge sheet filed in the land-for-jobs case. The second charge sheet filed by the CBI involves 17 accused, including the former Union Railway Minister, his wife, son, former GM of West Central Railways, two CPOs of WCR, private individuals, and a private company.
The CBI had initially registered the case on May 18, 2022, against Lalu Prasad Yadav and others, including his wife, two daughters, and unknown public and private individuals. The allegation is that during his tenure as Union Railway Minister from 2004-2009, Lalu Prasad Yadav received pecuniary benefits through the transfer of land to his family members in exchange for appointing individuals to Group "D" posts in various railway zones. These land transfers were made by the appointees or their family members to the Minister’s family members and a private company controlled by them.
It was further alleged that these appointments were made without any advertisements or public notices, with candidates from Patna being appointed to various railway zones in Mumbai, Jabalpur, Kolkata, Jaipur, and Hazipur.
The CBI conducted searches in multiple locations, including Delhi and Bihar. During the investigation, it was discovered that Lalu Prasad Yadav, with the intent to acquire land parcels, conspired with associates and family members to obtain land from various owners in exchange for railway jobs. The accused allegedly collected applications and documents through associates and sent them to the West Central Railway for processing, where the General Managers, under the influence of the accused, approved these appointments.
The candidates were initially engaged as substitutes and later regularized. A hard disk containing lists of engaged candidates was recovered during searches. It was also found that a land parcel was purchased by a private company for Rs. 10.83 lakh in 2007 and later transferred to the ownership of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s wife and son at a significantly undervalued rate.
Earlier, on October 7, 2022, a charge sheet had been filed against 16 accused in this case.
